If that doesn't work, you can get a piece of clear plastic and leave it over the pages; not an ideal solution, but it will let you use the book.

In the end, don't be too concerned with keeping the book in mint condition, unless this is a valuable or rare volume. Break the spine if need be; you can always repair the book later, or hold it together with a rubber band. A book of scores is of no use if you can't use it.

Book spines are intended to keep the book in its closed shape. As they age and are repeatedly opened, they start to stay open because the spine gets damaged. If you're careful, bending and folding won't make it any worse than the "natural" damage over time.

Another option is to cut out the spine altogether. You could punch holes in the margins and use a binder or something to keep everything together.

I've also seen a lot of spiral binding used to replace the original binding.
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Kyle BrandtApr 27 '11 at 21:09

I was struggling to remember what that was called and gave up, my brain is slow today. Thanks :P
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Matthew Read♦Apr 27 '11 at 21:10

I believe that it's necessary to tear books apart if they won't lie open, and to cut them or punch holes in them for ring binders or spiral binding. I do not like scribbling my own notes all over pristine sheets of music, but sometimes that is necessary also. I am a singer working with choral music and that requires many page turns all the time, and I feel it necessary to get the score into a physical format that I can handle in performance, by whatever means are necessary.
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Wheat WilliamsSep 12 '11 at 0:46

I concur. Break the spine. See if you can find a copy shop that will cut the "perfect" binding off. Punch the pages for a three-hole binder, or perhaps the copy shop can punch the pages for spiral binding. The purpose of sheet music that you own is for you to get it in any form that you can best use it.
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Wheat WilliamsDec 11 '11 at 21:07

Page turns must be a hell then! And never will your book open gently…
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BenoitApr 28 '11 at 9:34

I never do page turns. I just memorise some parts if it takes more than 2 pages or when the pages are on opposite sides. If I play a longer piece, then I just use copies, that's easier. I'm not fast or handy enough at turning anyway, so I don't really care that much.
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RaskolnikovApr 28 '11 at 9:38

No, unless the clothespins are dirty. But I keep some apart only for this purpose. ;D You have to be careful to not crumple the paper at the place where you apply them.
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RaskolnikovMay 13 '11 at 8:38

1

I would add that it's not always necessary to clamp the book with the clip. Sometimes you just need to put a clip on the top page to give it a little more weight. It can actually make page turns easier by giving you something to grab.
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200_successFeb 12 '12 at 9:04

A great longterm fix that I've found for this issue is to just take the score to a kinko's or other copy center and have them replace the binding with a spiral binding. This way, the book can stay open on any page and you don't have to worry about the binding breaking.

The only thing to watch out for is to make sure you don't lose any of the music when you have them change the binding over. But other than that, it's a great $5 investment!

Copying to separate sheets is doable when the book fits in your digitization device. Most books are too large. Memorizing is what I always do (it comes with playing repeatedly). But at start you need to sight-read!
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BenoitApr 28 '11 at 9:34

Memorizing is definately the way to go for me. It also makes it easier to concentrate on the music.
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MichaelApr 28 '11 at 17:05

@Benoit: Well if the book is too big, that makes a difference. You could use a camera and print out a picture. :), But anyway, I see you have already accepted a correct answer.
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musicwithoutpaperApr 28 '11 at 19:11